Whatever it Takes
by bookdiva
Summary: There have been lots of stories like this so I don't take credit for the idea, just the story. Bones gets hurt and Booth goes to the emergency room, realizes he loves her and so on. Read and review if you want me to continue. REVIEW! Merry Christmas
1. Chapter 1

She couldn't take it anymore. The way he was to her—snapping at her, never looking her in the eye—the conversation in the car was her last straw. She couldn't be around him anymore. He had lied to her once when he'd told her that love was real and that it could last forever. She couldn't trust him anymore. She just couldn't. It seemed that whenever she was around him, she opened herself up; and when she opened up, she invariably got hurt.

It was three in the morning and once again, she was still awake and at the Jeffersonian working. Everything in the lab—everything in this god-forsaken town—reminded her of him. It reminded her of what she could have had, of what she had been stupid enough to believe in. it reminded her of the lie; his lie.

Walking over to her phone, she picked it up to call Cam, but decided against waking her. The Jeffersonian would find another forensic anthropologist; they wouldn't be as good as her, but they would probably be a whole person. Right now, she wasn't.

Grabbing a notebook, she wrote,

_Dr. Saroyan, _

_I am sorry to leave in such a hurry. I know that it will be hard for you to replace me. I cannot live like this anymore. I just can't. My life here is over and I need to try to move on too. I will work over satellite until you can find a replacement. If there are any complications on this matter, call me and let me know. I am enclosing a letter for Angela—please make sure she receives it. Also, tell her that she's still my sister. _

_Thank you—you and everyone at the Jeffersonian—for being the family that I never had. I will never forget any of you. If you ever need anything, I am always willing to be of service._

_Sincerely,_

_Dr. Temperance Brennan_

She knew it was cowardly, but she also knew that if she told Cam in person, she would talk her out of it. It was hard enough to leave already; she didn't want another hurdle.

She grabbed the photos off her desk and put them in a box, then sat down to write the letter to Angela.

_Angela, _

_You are the best friend I have ever had. I can honestly say that you are the only person who has never left me. You are the only family that I have. I'm not leaving you. I hope that we are still friends. I just can't do it anymore Ange. He is happy with her, I know that. But I'm not! Doesn't that count for anything?_

_I'm sorry. I shouldn't be ranting at you. I also wanted you to know that you were right. You were always right. I love him. I love him so much, but he loves her. He told me that. I know that. It will be easier for him with me gone. He told me that too. _

_I love you Angela. I trust you with all of my (metaphorical) heart. _

_One more thing—I'm enclosing a letter for Booth. I didn't want Cam to know, but like I said, I trust you completely. Please make sure he gets it._

_Thank you for everything._

_Your best friend_

_Brennan_

Angela could make her stay. It was cowardly of her to write the letter, but Angela could make her stay and staying was unbearable. Now, she had the hardest letter of all left.

_Booth,_

_You were my partner for six years. We had good times together. Those good times are over now. You love her; you deserve her. I wish you all the…I wish you…I can't even write it, but you know. I wish you well. Good things—that white fence you always talk about and a wife and marriage and the average of 2.5 children and a dog and the winding driveway and all of that. It's what you wanted and what I could never be. _

_Don't call me and don't try to find me. Don't ask Angela or Cam, don't worry about me. I may actually be ok…someday._

_Goodbye forever,_

_Bones_

She got up and picked up the box and the letters. She walked them out to her car and placed them in the back seat. She would drop them by Cam's apartment before leaving the city forever.

She walked back into the Jeffersonian to the lab that had been her home for the last several years. She sat for a moment and let herself remember all the good times; she pushed away all the awful memories. Then she rose and walked out into the parking lot. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see the car. The car didn't see her until it was too late.

She looked up at the sound of screeching breaks; a second before the car hit her and her last thought was,

_I never thought I'd be leaving this way, but anything to get rid of the pain._

And then darkness overtook her.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ah…what time is it?" Booth asked his voice groggy from sleep. He tried to push Hannah away so he could go back to sleep, but she was persistent.

"Seeley, your phone keeps ringing. It may be important."

As if to prove her right, his phone rang again. Expecting it to be an agent saying that he had another case, he answered gruffly,

"What?"

"Booth? Is that you?" a feminine voice asked. It surprised Booth.

"Cam? Why are you calling me at," he looked at the clock, "four in the morning? What do you want?" He knew he sounded overly grouchy, but really. What reason could she have for disturbing his sleep?

"I—you need to get to the hospital right away, Dr. Brennan—"

"Something happened to Bones? Is she alright? What happened?" He felt the panic boiling inside him and he forgot his irritation. He was frozen in place.

"She was hit by a car at three this morning, when she was leaving the Jeffersonian. I don't have all the details yet, but the doctor should be out to talk to me soon. I do know that she will be in surgery soon."

"Bones was—never mind. I'll be right there." And he slammed his phone shut, jumped off the bed and threw on clothes.

"Seeley, what's happening? What happened to Temperance?" Hannah asked.

"She was hit by a car. I have to get to the hospital. You can go back to sleep." Then, without a backward glance at his girlfriend, Booth ran out the door and to his car.

The entire way to the hospital he couldn't form any more coherent thought than,

_Oh, Bones. _

Pulling up to the hospital, he quickly got out of his car and ran into the building. He stopped at the information desk.

"What can I do for you?" the receptionist asked with a smile.

"Temperance Brennan? What room is she in?" He didn't even spare the receptionist a glance.

"Brennan…Brennan…ah! Here she is. Oh, I see she was just admitted to the ER. She's in emergency surgery. Are you her family? Only family is allowed back there."

"I'm her emergency contact," he replied losing patience.

"Oh, that's fine. Just give me your name so that I can verify that and I'll let you know where she is."

"Seeley Booth," he told her.

"Ok…just let me see…" she looked at her screen for a moment. "I'm sorry sir, but it seems that you are not Ms. Brennan's emergency contact. You will have to wait in the general waiting area until a family member comes and gets you."

"What do you mean?" he asked. "I've been her emergency contact for six years. Who do you have in there as the contact? Maybe they got my name mixed up."

"It says here that her emergency contact is Camille Saroyan," she replied.

Booth was startled. Bones had changed her emergency contact. Why? He didn't have time to ponder it long. He had to get to Bones. She needed him right now.

He turned his eyes back to the receptionist and was about to do anything—flash his badge, grovel—absolutely _anything_ to get passed her, when he heard Cam's voice.

"Oh, Booth! Thank God! Come with me."

Booth ran towards her and asked,

"Cam, what's going on? How is Bones?"

"I'm sorry I'm late meeting you down here, but you got here faster than I thought you would," she said. "I just finished talking to the doctor, and he is talking to Angela right now. It's bad Booth, really bad. She's in surgery, but she might not make it."

They were now in the emergency surgery waiting room. He saw Angela talking with a man in a white coat. He walked over to them.

"What happened? How is she?" he demanded. The doctor looked to Angela who nodded.

"I'm Dr. Regis. I'm the primary care practitioner in the ER. When Temperance first came in, she was in critical condition. She has heavy internal bleeding and multiple contusions and abrasions. She also broke her left femur in three places, her right ulna, and she has several broken ribs. Right now she is in surgery. When she gets out, the surgeon will come out and update Dr. Saroyan on her condition."

"Thank you doctor," Cam said. The doctor nodded, turned and walked away. Booth just stood there, unable to think or move. "Booth, are you ok?"

_Am I ok? Bones is possibly dying. Do you think that I could be ok? _He tried to calm down. _Questions, _he thought. _Ask questions._

"Hodgins and I are going to get something to eat. We'll be back soon," Angela said. The two walked out without another word.

"What was she doing at the Jeffersonian at three in the morning?" _That's it. Start simple._

Cam looked at him concerned, but she answered,

"You know why—that's how she has always been."

"No she hasn't. She's been so much better. She goes home at a decent time now; I don't think she has pulled an all-nighter for the past three years. "

"Booth," Cam said gently, "the past three months, she's hardly gone home. Most nights she just catches what little sleep she's able to at the Jeffersonian. She even has a drawer with clothes in it because she stays there so often."

"What?" Booth was shocked. His partner—his Bones—hadn't been sleeping and he hadn't noticed.

"You didn't notice?" Cam's disbelief mirrored his own. "I thought for sure you did."

"If I'd noticed, don't you think I'd have done something about it?" he asked irritated.

"Truthfully?" Cam asked. "No, I don't."

Cam's words hit him and he opened his mouth to protest, but then stopped himself—his need to know about one more important detail over ruled the need to argue.

"Why are you Bones' emergency contact?" he asked.

Cam looked confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because I am—or was," he said.

"Booth, it's different now." She smiled a little, "I asked her the same thing, actually."

"What did she say?"

"She said that she wasn't your responsibility anymore—that you had Hannah now and that she didn't matter. She said…well, I don't think she'd appreciate me telling you that, so I'll just leave it at what I've already said. She chose me because you have Hannah, and Angela has Hodgins and the baby. She didn't want to be a burden to either of you, and she knew that I only had Michelle who's going away to college soon. It was logical."

Any reply that he had was lost when an officer approached holding a box.

"Which one of you is the next of kin?" he asked.

Booth stood and took a step forward.

"That would be me," Cam said.

"This was in her car. It has been cleared; it's not evidence. You can have it if you want."

"Thank you officer," Cam said. He turned and walked away.

"What do you mean 'evidence'? Was this a crime? Did someone run her down on purpose?" Booth asked.

"They don't know that, yet, but they do know that it was a hit and run. The person who hit her didn't stay to call it in. The guard found her on his hourly patrol. She's lucky he found her so soon, or she wouldn't even have the small chance she has now."

Cam lifted the lid from the box and was surprised at what she saw.

"These are all the pictures from Dr. Brennan's desk and office."

"Why would she box those up?" Booth asked.

"I don't know. Oh, look. There's a letter that has my name on it. Hold this box, Seeley, while I read it." She handed him the box.

He still could barely function and he couldn't figure out what it all meant. Her pictures were all boxed up.

"Oh," Cam said.

Booth looked up at her and when he saw her expression, he froze.

"What? What is it Cam?"

Unable to speak, she held out the letter to him and wiped at the tears that had come to her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Confused by her expression, the complete dread in her eyes, he took the letter out of her extended hand and read,

_Dr. Saroyan, _

_I am sorry to leave in such a hurry. I know that it will be hard for you to replace me. I cannot live like this anymore. I just can't. My life here is over and I need to try to move on too. I will work over satellite until you can find a replacement. If there are any complications on this matter, call me and let me know. I am enclosing a letter for Angela—please make sure she receives it. Also, tell her that she's still my sister. _

_Thank you—you and everyone at the Jeffersonian—for being the family that I never had. I will never forget any of you. If you ever need anything, I am always willing to be of service._

_Sincerely,_

_Dr. Temperance Brennan_

A million questions ran uncensored through his head.

She was leaving? She wanted to leave? That didn't seem like her. Had she tried to get run over?

She had to move on too? What had happened to make her so…so miserable?

She couldn't live like what? What was so wrong with the way her life was?

Why was she leaving him without any explanation or warning?

He needed answers, so he focused on the questions that he could answer for himself.

First things first, there was absolutely no way that she would have tried to get run over. No matter what she was going through, he knew that. She just wasn't that weak. But why would she possibly want to leave? She loved her job and the make shift family that had come with it. What was making her so miserable that she was willing to give all that up? To give him up? Why was she leaving him.

Secondly, Cam had said that she was basically living out of the lab. Was that the way she couldn't live like anymore? But how did that make sense? She loved her work. If he hadn't dragged her, kicking and screaming, she would live in that lab.

She would live in that lab if he didn't drag her out of it; she had been living in that lab ever since he had stopped dragging her out of it. But wasn't that what she always wanted? Her letter had said that she was tired of living that way.

He wasn't really getting anywhere. All he was doing was answering his questions with more questions.

He looked up and saw Angela walk in with Hodgins behind her looking worried. She sat down and looked the banana in her hands. She didn't spare him a glance, which was unlike her, but he figured that she was just worried about her friend, just like him. He was about to go over to comfort her, when Cam said,

"Angela."

She looked up at Cam with empty eyes, and Booth thought that she looked like what he felt like. They both loved Bones, so very much, and he knew that it would hurt her if she died. Bones was their friend.

She didn't speak, she just looked at Cam.

"Angela," Cam repeated, "there's a letter here for you. It's from Dr. Brennan."

"What?" Angela asked and some life came back into her eyes. "Where is it? Could I please have it?"

Cam nodded and handed her a sealed envelope that had been in with hers. On the front, in Bones' hand writing it read, ~_Angela~_.

Angela tore it open and another envelope fell out, along with a sheet of notebook paper.

Booth couldn't take his eyes off of Angela as she sat there, reading Bones' words. Disbelief, pain, and finally anger, crossed her face before she whispered,

"How could I not see this? How did I not know how she was hurting?"

Booth felt the need to comfort her because he knew that it wasn't her fault; it was all his fault.

"Angela, it's ok—"

"You!" She got up and walked over to him. Dropping the paper and the envelope that she'd been holding in both hands, she slapped him. Hard. "It is NOT ok. You—I can't even tell you how much I hate you right now." Booth stumbled back in shock and Hodgins got out of his chair and ran to his wife's side. Suddenly, she realized that she was screaming at him. "I am going to take a walk, Seeley Booth. I will be back before she gets out of surgery. I suggest that you stay away from me, for your safety, and stay away from her. For hers and yours." Then she turned and stomped away, a stunned Hodgins following after her, and the paper and envelope still laying on the ground.

Still shocked at Angela's outburst, Booth leaned down and picked up the pile of papers.

"I think I'll go on a walk as well," Cam said. Booth looked at her with questioning eyes. "I'm not much happier with you than Angela is, and honestly, I'm at the end of my patience too. I don't want to see you right now, and I really don't want to lose my temper in this place." With that, she turned and walked in the direction Angela had disappeared.

What was wrong with these people? What had he ever done to them? He figured, since the letters had set them off, maybe if he read them he'd have better insight. Unfolding the letter to Angela, he read,

_Angela, _

_You are the best friend I have ever had. I can honestly say that you are the only person who has never left me. You are the only family that I have. I'm not leaving you. I hope that we are still friends. I just can't do it anymore Ange. He is happy with her, I know that. But I'm not! Doesn't that count for anything?_

_I'm sorry. I shouldn't be ranting at you. I also wanted you to know that you were right. You were always right. I love him. I love him so much, but he loves her. He told me that. I know that. It will be easier for him with me gone. He told me that too. _

_I love you Angela. I trust you with all of my (metaphorical) heart. _

_One more thing—I'm enclosing a letter for Booth. I didn't want Cam to know, but like I said, I trust you completely. Please make sure he gets it._

_Thank you for everything._

_Your best friend_

_Brennan_

He could hardly form a thought. She wrote me a letter too? Numbly, he tore open the blank envelope and took out yet another piece of notebook paper. It said,

_Booth,_

_You were my partner for six years. We had good times together. Those good times are over now. You love her; you deserve her. I wish you all the…I wish you…I can't even write it, but you know. I wish you well. Good things—that white fence you always talk about and a wife and marriage and the average of 2.5 children and a dog and the winding driveway and all of that. It's what you wanted and what I could never be. _

_Don't call me and don't try to find me. Don't ask Angela or Cam, don't worry about me. I may actually be ok…someday._

_Goodbye forever,_

_Bones_


End file.
